The Party
by BenXGwen Lightning Warrior
Summary: During a New Year's party, Ben and Gwen get tipsy. As alcohol often does, it loosens them up, and a long-held secret and confessions come out.
1. Thier First Drink

Part One: Their First Drink

(A BWEN Fanfiction)

It was New Years six years after their first road trip with Grandpa Max. Ben walked into his aunt and uncle's house with a grin on his face. The boy of ten grew into a budding man. His shoulders were broad and they served to only draw attention to Ben's physique. The teen's muscles lightly stood out of Ben's shirt and pants; they were not extreme as if Ben were a bodybuilder, but Max's training caved the boy into a well-built teen of five and three quarters feet tall. The teen politely smiled at his aunt and uncle and exchanged hellos and how are you's. Ben was fine until Lily reached and hugged him. In his gut, Ben knew something was different as she hugged him, and for some reason, his battle instincts fought for control at the contact. _What's up with you, Ben?_ Ben questioned in his mind. _She's not Vilgax or Animo. Cool it!_ When his aunt let go after what seemed like an eternity, Ben's instincts base lined back to normal. "That was odd." Ben mumbled under his breath.

As Frank shook Ben's hand, Gwen walked up. Ben's breath caught. She was beautiful as always. Her orange hair hung down to her shoulders. Her eyes sparkled with a shine they only had around him. Her lips were not painted, but they still had a sheen to them Ben recognized as lip gloss. Ben was a respectful man, but he took in the rest of her with a happy sigh. The years were definitely kind to her and only seemed to make her beauty shine still stronger to him, When she noticed him staring Gwen shyly broke eye contact and pretended to focus on her magic ring on her right hand, twisting it with a hidden smile as nerves showed. Her father noticed the small look and wondered exactly why Ben made Gwen so nervous the more he saw of them together. For a moment, Frank thought his daughter was crushing on Ben. Then, as quickly as the thought rose in his mind, he shot it down with a dismissive hand and shake of his head.

Frank's fleeting thought was closer to the truth than he would ever know. Ben and Gwen were happy to gather with their family for the turning of a new year, but both harbored hidden feelings, feelings they feared to express. As Ben walked up to Gwen, he blushed slightly. "Hey, Gwen. How were finals?" She smiled at him. "I aced them all." Ben felt a grin tug at his lips. "As I expected, Dweeb," Ben told her with a playful hit on the arm. Gwen raised an eyebrow at the punch. "What about you, Doofus?" She asked. Ben nodded. "Same as you. Thanks for helping me. Trig was kicking my butt." She grinned at him. "I'm glad to help." Ben cleared his throat with a nervous laugh. He noticed the glasses of cider on the kitchen counter and gave one a long look.

"I never got the point of New Years," Ben mumbled. Gwen giggled at him. "It's a celebration of new beginnings and an open future." Ben wasn't sure, but he thought he heard a hint of sadness in her voice. He opened his mouth to ask about it, but Ben's completely smashed Mom decided that moment to voice her discontent at Ben and Gwen's sobriety and handed them both a glass of cider. Ben and Gwen both politely accepted the drinks but put them to the side for the moment. Ben smiled at Gwen. "I dare you to drink." Ben said with a smirk. For the first time that night, Gwen truly smiled. Ben enjoyed her heartfelt and genuine smiles because Gwen's entire body seemed to shine when she was truly happy. "You're on!" Gwen said as her eyes showed with youthful glee. Ben downed his glass and grimaced at the bite of the alcohol as it ran down his throat. The funny expression coaxed a laugh from Gwen. Then, she drank, and Karma sucks because Gwen grimaced and coughed. "Oh…god!" She groaned out. Ben laughed. "Don't tell me Gwen Tennyson is unable to take her cider." Gwen glared at him. "Don't challenge me, Doofus. You'll lose." Ben raised an eyebrow as Gwen knocked back two glasses of cider. Not to be outdone, Ben shot gunned three glasses.

To say they were drunk by this point would not be quite accurate, but they were close. Gwen's face suddenly fell, and she shivered. "W-what is it?' Ben asked in worry. Gwen looked at him in eyes. "Not here." Gwen said as she led Ben to her room, closed the door, and clumsily locked it behind them. "Mom…used to beat me and slap me around if…I brought home less than a B. She now expects A's and nothing less." Gwen fumbled with a sleeve for a moment before it started to retreat up her arm to reveal bruises: some old and yellowing, others fresh and dark purple. Ben looked at Gwen's arm in shock. "Why didn't Uncle…?" Ben started to ask. Gwen shook her head. "Mom told me if I showed him, I would live to regret it." Ben took Gwen's hands gently in his. His eyes showed with a storm of emotions. "Gwen…if all she wants is perfection, t-that won't happen." Gwen looked down, but Ben gently raised her chin with a finger. "You are…already…perfect." As Ben spoke he inched closer and closer to her lips. Then, it happened. Their lips touched! Gwen quickly pulled away as her mind tried to grasp what just happened. Then, she closed the gap with a smile and kissed him as tears fell from her eyes in joy.

The shattering of a door sobered Ben and Gwen up almost instantly. "M-mom?!" Gwen gasped as she began to shake in fear. There, standing a mist of a small sea of splintered wood was Lily. Ben calmly stepped in front of Gwen and tensed. _If Lily wants a battle, she'll get a war!_ Ben promised in his mind as he dared Lily to make a move. The ruckus roused Max to the scene. "Grandpa, you better get Lily out of here before I send her to the ICU." Max looked at Lily and started to drag her outside. "What are you doing, Max?!" Lily shrieked. "He's just a slacker asshole who is sick! Why would you listen to him?" Max smiled slightly in an "I knew it!" fashion. Then, the smile vanished. "We've gone through Hell together. You, however, only married my son and are not worthy of my trust by what you've done to Gwen. I'll make sure they put you under the jail!" Max said with a deadly glare as he loaded her in the Rustbucket. As Max drove away, the clock in the center of town chimed midnight. "Happy New Year, Dweeb." Ben said happily. Gwen looked up at him as she leaned into his chest, and smiled. Then, her eyes shown and she gasped as if she forgot something. Gwen turned to Ben and kissed him passionately. "Happy New Year, Doofus."

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	2. Aftermath

Part Two: Aftermath

Ben and Gwen held each other for a few moments longer. Then, Frank walked up to them. Ben went into Defense Mode instantly and glared at the man. "Ben, I would never hurt my daughter," he told Ben as he put a hand on Ben's shoulder. "We just need to talk for a minute." He explained with a kind smile. Ben nodded and relaxed as Frank looked past him to Gwen. "With Lily in prison, it won't be possible to keep this house." He said as Ben and Gwen shared scared and knowing looks. Gwen thought of something. "I have enough credits in school to go to work part time." Frank shook his head. "That wouldn't be right of me to ask you to do." Gwen looked at her father. "If it means we don't have to move, I'll be glad do it." Gwen said with a stern face.

Frank was about to relent when Ben and Gwen's phones went off. Gwen quickly checked hers and found a strange email. "Thank you for your service to your planet and the Intergalactic Peacekeepers of Earth," it told Ben and Gwen. "From this point forward, you will be part-time members until such time as you complete your basic education. Back payment for eighteen months of service have been sent to your respective bank accounts immediately and continued payment will be made twice a month. Again, the Earth thanks you for your service." Gwen smiled when she saw the signature: Magister Maxwell Tennyson, Head of IPE.

Ben and Gwen smiled at Frank, and Gwen told him, "I don't think we'll have to worry about money, Dad." "Grandpa got us jobs with him as Earth Space Cops." Ben added with a grin. "With aliens as a known thing now. Grandpa will probably be looking for recruits now." Gwen said as she tapped her chin. Ben chuckled at her. "You're cute when you're tired," he then kissed her. "Vilgax attacked six years ago. I'm certain Grandpa Max has beefed up the ranks between then and now." He told her with a kind smile. "Speaking of sleeping…" Ben said as Gwen yawned, put her head on his shoulder, and snuggled into it deeper into Ben's chest. Ben gently put his arm around Gwen and lead her to her room. As soon as Gwen started to drift off, Ben left to keep Uncle Frank from eating him alive. As Ben closed the door, Gwen seemed to sense him leaving. Her face contorted in fear and sadness while she slept and began to toss and turn, but this was from her dreams.

In Gwen's mind, she found herself in a hallway. There were dozens of doors on each side of her in all manner of colors. "What is this place?" Gwen mumbled as she looked around the area for any clues to where this place was. Gwen looked up at the sound of a magenta door opening and closing as a person walked out of it. When the figure walked closer, Gwen was stunned to see the person was a slightly older version of herself! Gwen quickly got over her shock and glared at her double.

"What are you doing here?" Gwen asked her double who she decided to call Gwendolyn to keep the confusion to a minimum. Gwendolyn seemed sad. She looked at Gwen and shivered. "Well, for starters, all Gwen's have a weak telepathic link with each other because of Mana and our ability to use it." Gwen giggled. "'Mana' is Hebrew for 'What is it?' and was a cracker or something similar the Israelites ate while they wandered. It's not 'an energy field that binds the Galaxy together'." Gwen said with a shake of her head. Gwendolyn glared at her. "Semantics aside, I'm here because Ben just knocked me out because I was trying to protect Kevin from him." Gwen stared at Gwendolyn and laughed sarcastically. "W-what did you just say?" Gwen asked her older self in disbelief.

Gwendolyn smiled. "I'm dating Kevin." That one sentence sent Gwen into a tirade. "What in the fiery pits of Hell are you smoking?" Gwen asked in anger as she slapped herself. "He's tried to kill Ben and I many times! The guy is a fucking psychopath with a greed for power and money that would make Hitler look like a Shaolin monk by comparison! He double teamed Ben in the Null Void with Vilgax. He was willing to KILL innocent people on a passenger train for a cash pay out! He wanted to smash Ben to pieces when they were abducted into an illegal fight club!" Gwen said as she counted out the events on her fingers and calmly walked around Gwendolyn while the girl tried to talk some sense into herself. "Kevin plays games with your head! He fooled Ben into thinking he was remorseful when we were ten. You're smarter than that, Gwendolyn, or is he just a hot boyfriend that looks good on your arm?"

Gwendolyn just stared at her younger counterpart. "He's changed!" Gwen raised an eyebrow. "The thing about turning over a new leaf is all the dirt and grime on one side is still there. It's hard to see because you are looking at the clean side of the leaf." Gwen said before she asked, "Does he give you the proper respect and adoration you deserve?" Gwendolyn blinked. Gwen sighed. "He probably has a car and worships it." The younger Tennyson growled. "When he changed back into a physical monster, did he try to resist it?" Gwen asked. Gwendolyn fired back. "He can't control the energy he absorbs from the Omnitrix!" Gwen glared at herself. "I call total bullshit! Uncontrolled, the Omnitrix energy from Kevin's first encounter with it would permanently alter him. Over time, he would learn to control the mutation and APPEAR human and benign. You're being played, Gwendolyn." Gwen told her older self coldly as the connection began to fade and "Just Break Up with Him" by Old Dominion played from invisible speakers.

Gwen woke up with a headache and groaned as she shifted to a sitting position and stood. "Damn…what a night." Gwen groaned. For a moment, panic ran through her as she thought about her dream. Gwen ran into the living room in her pj's and looked around, praying Kevin would be no where in sight. When she saw Ben sleeping on the couch, Gwen felt a weight lift off her shoulders, ran up, and kissed Ben deeply. The brunette teen boy started away at the fierce contact. When Gwen broke away, Ben just stared at her with a silly grin on his face. "Good morning to you, too, Dweeb." Gwen frowned. "After the night I had, I need to remind myself of you." Ben sat up and looked at Gwen in worry at her words. "Why? What happened?" He asked. "While I slept, I met a version of myself that was dating Kevin." Ben's slack jawed expression spoke volumes as Gwen only nodded in response. Ben then pulled her into a tight hug and whispered in her ear, "I'm not going anywhere."

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